Jewelry Wholesaler Pleads Guilty in Forgery Case

January 31, 2013byDaniel Ford

On Jan. 24, a jewelry wholesaler pled guilty to forging the seal of a government agency, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tejas Mehta, 36, owner of New York City-based Saritijediam Inc. (doing business as Design Trends), was accused of receiving hundreds of thousands in diamonds and jewelry on consignment, and then selling the jewels. He then allegedly did not pay the consignees, but told his victims’ attorney that federal authorities had seized the stones, using a forged U.S. Customs and Border Protection document as proof.